Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on January 8, 2024. Blue Meridian Partners, a philanthropic collaborative of some pretty major players and one of the nation’s largest funders of antipoverty work, is ramping up its commitment to … [Read more...] about What’s on the Menu at Blue Meridian? More Place-Based, Multisector Partnerships
Duke Endowment
Duke Endowment
OVERVIEW: The Duke Endowment is one of the largest private foundations in the United States and one of the most important institutional funders in the Carolinas. IP TAKE: The Duke Endowment is an powerhouse source of health funding for the … [Read more...] about Duke Endowment
MacKenzie Scott’s Big 2025 Gift Reveal: 4 Takeaways
We Took a Deep Dive Into Mega-Donor Foundation Giving. Here’s What the Numbers Tell Us
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on May 16, 2023. Over the past 20 years, the philanthropic status quo has been dramatically upended by private foundations led by living mega-donors. Hailing from fields like tech, media and … [Read more...] about We Took a Deep Dive Into Mega-Donor Foundation Giving. Here’s What the Numbers Tell Us
Sign of the Times? The Dells Grow Their Foundation by a Cool $5 Billion
At 100 Years, the Duke Endowment Ups Payout, Stays Perpetual
How Is Philanthropy Stepping Up to Meet the Mental Health Crisis?
Three Takeaways from a Deep Dive into Pandemic-Era Foundation Giving
Who’s Backing Rural Ed? A Selection of Key Funders to Know
How a New Funder Is Taking on the Thorny Issue of Youth Mental Health
Earlier this week, as U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy made a remarkable call to add mental health warning labels to social media apps, he deemed the youth mental health crisis “the defining issue of our time.” It’s certainly one that could do with … [Read more...] about How a New Funder Is Taking on the Thorny Issue of Youth Mental Health
Many Large Private Foundations Fail to Pay Out 5% of Assets. Here’s Why
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on June 18, 2024. In a March piece in the New York Times, David A. Fahrenthold and Ryan Mac reported that Elon Musk’s Musk Foundation did not meet the IRS requirement to distribute 5% of the fair … [Read more...] about Many Large Private Foundations Fail to Pay Out 5% of Assets. Here’s Why
Seven Funders Working to Improve Child Welfare and Foster Care
The Doris Duke Foundation Stands Up an Initiative to Transform the Child Welfare System
The child welfare system’s goal is to protect children, but it too often shatters families and relegates children to foster care in ways that disproportionately impact families of color and people living in poverty. Many in the field envision an … [Read more...] about The Doris Duke Foundation Stands Up an Initiative to Transform the Child Welfare System
This Higher Ed Funder Recognized the Growing Crisis of Student Mental Health Over Ten Years Ago
At its most extreme, the crisis of student mental health shows up in disturbing reports of campus suicide, which are responsible for an estimated 1,100 deaths each year at colleges and universities in the U.S. But mental health on campus is a much … [Read more...] about This Higher Ed Funder Recognized the Growing Crisis of Student Mental Health Over Ten Years Ago
Why This Major Antipoverty Funder Is Ramping Up Its Investment in HBCUs
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have drawn increasing recognition and support from philanthropy in recent years. In 2021, IP’s Mike Scutari spotlighted a long list of funders investing in HBCUs, and Ade Adeniji recently reported … [Read more...] about Why This Major Antipoverty Funder Is Ramping Up Its Investment in HBCUs
Last Year, William Buster Took Over a New $1.25 Billion Foundation. Here’s What He’s Learning
Here’s a fun thought experiment. Let’s say you’re put in charge of a brand-new, place-based foundation with assets of over $1 billion. What would be your first order of business? Second? Sixth?It isn’t very often that a leader is presented with those … [Read more...] about Last Year, William Buster Took Over a New $1.25 Billion Foundation. Here’s What He’s Learning
“Hope, But Not Success.” Foundations Dug Deep for HBCUs in 2020, but Funding Gap Far From Closed
A little over two years ago, I made the claim that giving to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) had finally gone mainstream. Looking back, I may have been overly optimistic, caught up in the moment despite my past frustration with … [Read more...] about “Hope, But Not Success.” Foundations Dug Deep for HBCUs in 2020, but Funding Gap Far From Closed
This Major Anti-Poverty Collaborative is Doubling Down on Support for Early Childhood
Blue Meridian Partners prides itself on thinking big. Its mission is ambitious: “To transform the life trajectories of young people and families in poverty.” To do so, the funding collaborative makes hefty investments in strategies that aim to … [Read more...] about This Major Anti-Poverty Collaborative is Doubling Down on Support for Early Childhood
How One Funder Is Helping Kids in the South Flourish by Starting Early and Close to Home
It takes a village to raise a child, right? But if you don’t happen to have a village, helping a child grow and flourish requires a many-layered system of care—even before that child is born.That is the idea driving Get Ready Guilford, a program … [Read more...] about How One Funder Is Helping Kids in the South Flourish by Starting Early and Close to Home
COVID Underscored the Need for Early Childhood Education. Are Fundraisers Seeing More Support?
The pandemic has dramatically raised the profile of early childhood education.“People now understand the importance of child care, that we back up the economy, that we are the workforce behind the workforce. Investment in early childhood is perceived … [Read more...] about COVID Underscored the Need for Early Childhood Education. Are Fundraisers Seeing More Support?
IP Briefing: What’s Going on With Philanthropy for Mental Health
In Inside Philanthropy’s weekly briefings, we provide an overview of what’s happening in a particular area of philanthropy, loaded with links to our past coverage and State of American Philanthropy research. This week: mental health.In a sentence: … [Read more...] about IP Briefing: What’s Going on With Philanthropy for Mental Health
On Funders’ Surging Support for Mental Healthcare and How Universities Can Tap In
It’s become a common observation to call the pandemic an accelerant of existing trends. In the higher education space, for example, the crisis amplified funders’ focus on boosting student access and support. But the pandemic has also cast a harsh … [Read more...] about On Funders’ Surging Support for Mental Healthcare and How Universities Can Tap In
Across the South, Here’s How Local Funders Have Mobilized to Respond to COVID-19
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of posts that look at the response of funders in different regions of the U.S. to the coronavirus pandemic. Compared to elsewhere in the country, some southern states and jurisdictions were slower to issue … [Read more...] about Across the South, Here’s How Local Funders Have Mobilized to Respond to COVID-19
“Changes are Incremental.” How are Liberal Arts Funders Working to Boost Faculty Diversity?
The Charlotte-based Duke Endowment recently awarded $4 million to Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences to hire up to six junior- to senior-level faculty scholars with expertise in African, Asian-American and Latinx studies.University … [Read more...] about “Changes are Incremental.” How are Liberal Arts Funders Working to Boost Faculty Diversity?
“Everything Is Local.” A Regional Funder Hones Its Strategy
Times are changing for many local and regional funders. Spurred by economic shifts, political questions and the entry of new players into the field, longtime local funding institutions are reconsidering how they give. Strategic reassessments can be … [Read more...] about “Everything Is Local.” A Regional Funder Hones Its Strategy
As a Foundation Winds Down, the Anti-Poverty Funder Collaborative It Launched Takes Flight
As the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF) enters the final phase of its spend-down, Blue Meridian Partners, the funder collaborative started and incubated at EMCF, announced its plans to become an independent nonprofit, ensuring its survival as … [Read more...] about As a Foundation Winds Down, the Anti-Poverty Funder Collaborative It Launched Takes Flight
The Ballmer Express: Where’s This Anti-Poverty Funder Heading Now?
The Ballmer Group, the philanthropic outfit founded by Steve and Connie Ballmer, made a splash in the world of education philanthropy this week with the announcement of two big gifts that add up to $30 million.Steve Ballmer built most of his … [Read more...] about The Ballmer Express: Where’s This Anti-Poverty Funder Heading Now?
A Right, Not a Privilege: A Gift Breaks Down Barriers to International Travel for Undergraduates
Back in March, when looking at former politician and diplomat Frank Guarini's $10 million give to boost Dartmouth's study abroad program, I mentioned the most obvious reason why many students stay put in the states: cost. College isn't cheap. … [Read more...] about A Right, Not a Privilege: A Gift Breaks Down Barriers to International Travel for Undergraduates
This Funder is Betting Big that Technology Can Connect Doctors… and Doctors
With the constant media coverage of medical research these days, it's easy to assume that the big advances in health care will depend on a gleaming future of painless cures and breakthrough discoveries in the laboratory. But any big picture of health … [Read more...] about This Funder is Betting Big that Technology Can Connect Doctors… and Doctors
